Researcher(s)
- Maria Wohlbowne, Biological Sciences, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Lisha Shao, Biological Sciences, University of Delaware
Abstract
Neuropeptide F (NPF) neurons, functionally conserved to NPY neurons in mammals, are involved in the reward system of common fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. The pleiotropic functions of NPF may be attributed to the heterogeneity of the NPF neurons. There are four sexually monomorphic subtypes of NPF neurons, L1, P1, P2, and DM. However, the correlation between the function of specific NPF neural subtypes and their reward response are not yet fully understood. We hypothesize that each subtype has different functions within the reward response, specifically in regards to the behavioral and physiological response to feeding. Our current study is to discover how P1 and DM are involved in regulating feeding and metabolism in female flies. Leveraging a Gal4-UAS binary expression system, we decreased the expression of NPF peptide in the P1 and DM neurons by genetically crossing a NPF RNAi line. With NPF significantly knocked-down in these neurons, we quantified how often the flies eat using the FlyPad assay. To further understand the physiological effect, we measured the amount of glucose, triglycerides, and glycogen metabolized by the flies. We found that knocking-down NPF in P1 neurons increased feeding but did not affect the levels of major metabolites, suggesting P1 is involved in regulating feeding. On the other hand, knocking-down NPF in DM neurons reduced the glycogen levels, but did not affect feeding. Therefore, we can infer that DM is important for metabolism. With these data, we can infer that the differences seen in feeding and metabolism are regulated by distinctive subtypes of NPF neurons. Given the similarity in NPF and NPY neurons, our study can help understand the pleiotropic functions in the NPY system found in humans.